Dustpan



April-14, 1925. 1,533,849 H. GEHMAN DUSTPAN Filed March 20, 1924|NvENTon` ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 14, 1925.

HARRY GEHMAN, OF PHILADELHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

DU'STPAN.

Application filed March 20, 1924. Serial No. 700,594.

T0 all 'whom if; may concern.'

Re it known'that l, Hansi' GEHMAN, a citizen of the? United States7residing at Philadelphia, in the countyv of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Dustpau, of which thefollowing is a specification'.

rlhis invention relates to an improved dust pan of the type` which ismost commonly used in public buildings and the like for picking up dirtand trash, and which is usually provided with a hinged lid or cover`adapted to be closed to retain the contents therein, so that the panwill be sanita-ry', and the contents thereof will not be offensive tothe by-standers. p The general object of the invention is to provideimproved means for actuating the lid or cover, whereby it will beautomatically opened whenever the pan is set upon the iioor for sweepingtrash thereinto, but will always be closed by gravity whenever the panis lifted from the floor. l

The detailed construction of the invention and its objectsand'advantages will be: more particularly described in connection withthe accompanying drawing, which illustrates the preferred form of theinvention.

In the drawing: y

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention resting upon the floorwith its lid open.

Figure 2 is a side elevation fof the invention with the lid closed, butshowing in dotted lines the position of the latter when open.

The dust pan, which forms the subject of my invention, is of the usualshape, comprising a receptacle or body portion 5, which terminates atthe front side in a mouth (i having sloping; side edges 7, and adaptedto be closed by a lid or cover 8, which is hinged at 9 to the upper sideof the receptacle. The side edges of the lid S are extended to formdown-turned flanges 10, which overhang' the upper sloping edges 7 of thesides of the receptacle, and to these flanges the respective links 11are pivotally connected b v suitable pins or rivets 12. Links l13 havetheir upper ends pivotally connected at 11i to the sides of thereceptacle near the lower rear corners thereof, the lower ends'of thelinks 13 being' pivotally connected, as at 15, to the free ends of thelinks 11 to form toggles. A keeper 16 is secured to each side thereceptacle and embraces one of the links, as l1, so that the toggle isconstrained to move in a plane adjacent the side of the receptacle,y butthe keeper is elongated so as to'permit the link to swing;Y in alongitudinal. direction as the angle between the links of the togglevaries.` A handle 17, substantially vertical., is secured in a socket 18fonmed on the back side of the receptacle.

When the dust pan is being carried bv means of the handle 121A the lid 8will close by gravity to the position .shown in full lines in Figure 2,and the toggles consisting of the links 11 and 13 will hanp; downwardlybelow the bottom of the pan. Whenever the pan is set upon the door, asindicated in Figure 1 and in dotted lines in Figure 2, the pivotalconnections 15 ofk the toggles will first engage the floor, and causethe toggles to swing;v upwardly about the pivotal points 14E, while thelinks 11 are guided in a vertical pla-ne by the keepers 16. Thus, thelid 8 automatically opens whenever the pan is placed upon the floor tosweep dirt or trash thereinto, but when itis lifted from the floor thelid is closed to retain the trash. It, therefore, prevents the dust fromspreading and conceals the contents of the pan, the appearance of whichmight be objectionable to by-standers or patrons.

It will be noted that a dust pan constructed according to my inventionis simple in its construction, may be manufactured at a reasonable cost,and is entirely automatic in its operation. While I have shown anddescribed the specific construction of the invention in its preferredform, it is to be understood that this is merely illustrative, and thatvarious modifications may be made in the size, proportion and generalarrangement of the various elements without departing from theprinciples of the invention, or sacrificing' any of its advantages.

What is claimed is:

1. A dust pan comprising a receptacle having a flatimperforate bottom.,and a mouth with a hinged lid, links pivotally connected to the oppositesides of the lid andy depending' therefrom, other links pivotallyconnected at their inner ends to thefree ends of the first-mentionedlinks and pivoted at their rear ends to the rear end of the receptacle,all of said links being` arranged on the outside of the receptacle andmovable at the sides thereof, and a rigid handle connected to thereceptacle, whereby when the pen is being` carried hy the handle the lidwill Close by gravity und will be kepty closed hy the links :it eachside, Seid linke hanging downwardly below the hottoin of the receptacle:it an angleA` and when the pen is eet down on the floor, the linke willengage the floor nt the inner plv-oted connections` and canse the linksto Swing upwardly to open the lid.

2. A dust pan, comprising; n receptacle having` an upstunding;handle:ind provided with a month having@ hinged lid Said lid -having its Sideediten extended. to 'torni downtnrned flanges which overlnu'xgr theSides ot' the receptacle, n, pair ot opposed linksr pivotally connectedto the lid :1t opposite sides of the month, another priir ol" linkspivotally connected at their rear' ends to the :sides of' the receptacleneer its rear end, and pivotully connectedl etv their front ends to thetree ends ot the first-named links respectively, to torni toggles whichproject below the bottoni of t-lie pen when the lid is closed, So es tohe engzigeahle by tho 'floor' to reise the lid when the pen is setthereon7 :ind n keeper at each side ot the receptacle einbrucingone ofthe links oil? the toggle and constraining it to inove in n plaineadjacent the side ot the teeeptziele lint, permitting it to swinglongitudinally of the receptacle as the ingle `between the links of thetoggle increeeee or diminishes.

ln testimony that l ehiin'i the foregoing' es my own, l have Aheretoaffixed my signature.

HARRY GEr l All i

